Football season is upon us, and many of us have lost our partners to the television screen. When that first game of the season rolls around, everything else becomes a second priority — God forbid you want to spend a cozy fall Monday night watching Gilmore Girls reruns.
For one couple, football season, and most importantly, Dad’s fantasy football draft, happened to come into conflict with the birth of their first child.
Pattsy Housely and Justin Alvarez told PEOPLE magazine that they learned they were pregnant in 2023, and Justin realized the implications of the baby’s due date soon after.
“He mentioned she would be born during football and boating season as soon as we found out her due date, Sept. 3,” Housely said. “He wanted to know if the hospital had coverage of the games just in case she was born a week-plus late. I also love football so I was curious too.”
The couple did their best to make Alvarez’s fantasy football schedule and their child’s birth work, but the baby had other plans, and they welcomed baby Elsie a day late, and mere hours before Justin’s fantasy draft.
“He and his friends scheduled the draft weeks, maybe even months, in advance,” Housely explained. “It was scheduled for Sept. 5, two days after my due date. We always thought she would come early, so it wouldn’t be an issue, but she was born on Sept. 4 — about 12 hours before the draft.”
This unexpected clash led to Alvarez setting up his draft headquarters in the hospital room. This month, just over a year later, Housely posted a TikTok showing him virtually participating in the draft. It has since racked up 814,000 views.
Housely ensured PEOPLE that Alvarez remained an attentive father throughout the draft, and posted the video because she thought people would get a laugh out of his multitasking.
She also shared that his draft went pretty well, and that he picked up Jalen Hurts, DK Metcalf and Stefon Diggs.
Jalen Hurts does have a way better completion percentage than baby Elsie, so ultimately it did seem to be worth it.
The couple shared that they’ve enjoyed people’s reactions, though they had not been uniformly positive.
“I knew that men would appreciate it and think it was funny. The men definitely came up with the funniest comments! The ladies however, did not appreciate it,” Housely said with a laugh.
The comments on Housely’s TikTok were pretty split. Some users shared how they related, and even applauded Alvarez’s multitasking skills.
“As a nurse helped me in a wheelchair to go to our new room my husband had our baby in one arm and his laptop in the other, frantically trying to get his last pick in so no one in the hall would see😂,” one user shared.
“That’s an amazing husband and father. he’s right on multitasking already,” said another user.
Others were not so impressed.
“‘Yeah the divorce just came out of no where’🧐,” one user joked.
I, for one, don’t think I’d be overly happy with my partner’s divided attention in that instance, but I am not a sports gal. Football does seem to be a big part in Housely and Alvarez’s new family’s life, so I can see how a little draft in the delivery room might not be a bother to them.
“We still cuddle up and watch football all day Sunday and throughout the week,” Housely said. “It’s probably my favorite thing! Knowing her dad, [Elsie] has no choice but to be a diehard football fan for life.”
